SOFIA observatory did not see enough phosphine on Venus to sustain life (as we know it)

(NASA/JPL-Caltech; Spectra: Cordiner et al. https://bit.ly/3unEn1c)

The infrared flying observatory SOFIA found no traces of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus.

The biomarker was discovered in 2020 and it caused a wave of speculation about the possibility of life on this planet.

New spectral data obtained by the observatory mean that if phosphine is still present on Venus, its concentration does not exceed 0.8 parts per billion.

The conditions on the surface of Venus are unsuitable for life as we know it.

However, in 2020 there was renewed interest in the hypothesis of the potential habitability of the planet's upper atmosphere.

Ground-based telescopes found traces of phosphine gas, which is considered a biomarker, at altitudes of 53-61 kilometers from the surface of Venus.

This substance can be generated not only by natural mechanisms, such as volcanism, but also be the result of the vital activity of microorganisms.

Soon, traces of phosphine were also found in the data of the Pioneer-13 descent vehicle, but the question arose about its exact content in the atmosphere.

The authors of the original work, after criticizing it, reanalyzed the available observational data and obtained a lower estimate of the phosphine content.

The new measurements amounted to 5-10 parts per billion at the maximum instead of the initial 20 ppb.

In addition, in the future, the version of the abiogenic origin of Venusian phosphine due to volcanism received additional theoretical justification.

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NEW OBSERVATIONS
Now, a team of astronomers of the Goddard Space Flight Center has published the results of a search for phosphine on Venus using SOFIA's flying infrared stratospheric observatory.

The group led by Martin Cordiner made observations using two channels of the GREAT spectrometer during three flights conducted on November 10, 12 and 13, 2021.

Then the obtained spectra were compared with the model ones to estimate the phosphine content.

The scientists ended up with an average upper limit of 0.8 parts per billion for phosphine over the altitude range of 75 to 110 kilometers in Venus's atmosphere.

This is much less than the previous estimate.

These results are consistent with data from the Venus Express orbital station, whose most stringent upper limit for phosphine was at 69 kilometers at 0.2 parts per billion.

However, the question of the origin of phosphine on Venus remains open.

Researchers believe it can arise due to geological, atmospheric or biological processes, and its concentration can be variable over time.

Therefore, it makes sense to continue observing Venus and look for phosphine on exoplanets in order to understand its nature on Venus.

Sources:

• arXiv.org: https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.13519
• SciTech Daily: https://scitechdaily.com/sofia-finds-no-phosphine-a-potential-sign-of-life-on-venus/
• Eos: https://eos.org/research-spotlights/if-there-is-phosphine-on-venus-there-isnt-much

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